"So weak. They're basically no different from those soldiers before."
Outside the illusion barrier, Naohara and the other two floated quietly in the air, watching everything unfold below.
When he looked at the soldiers inside the barrier on the right, Herohero let out a sigh.
The only one who stood out at all registered at around level 29 under his detection magic—and even that level was clearly boosted by the ring on the man's finger.
From the memories of the earlier soldiers, this level of strength was considered the Realm of Heroes in this world—the most important military force a nation could possess.
Momonga and Herohero were at a loss for words. This was their strongest fighting force?
Herohero even said that if this was the standard, he could probably clear this entire world on his own.
"This side's a bit more interesting. I didn't expect it to really be an Archangel Flame."
On the left side of the barrier, Momonga looked at the creature shaped like a machine, genuine surprise in his voice.
It was called an Archangel Flame. The name sounded imposing, but in the game it was one of the lowest-tier monsters. Back in their beginner days, Naohara and the others had slaughtered hundreds of them every single day.
"That's exactly what confuses me. I was startled too when I saw it in the soldier's memories."
"Why are monsters from the game appearing in the New World?"
Herohero frowned at the scene below. They had clearly been transported to another world, yet monsters straight out of the game were still showing up.
"There's no point overthinking it. Devour their supreme commander and we'll have our answer."
Naohara cut off their speculation, speaking lightly.
"Hm? There's a spatial fluctuation. Someone's teleporting in."
A ripple in space drew all three of their gazes. Before them, a pitch-black Gate slowly formed in midair.
Three figures in differently colored armor stepped out.
"It's Sephis, Shalltear, and Albedo."
Recognizing the familiar silhouettes, they knew the Guardians had arrived.
"Momonga-sama, please forgive me for arriving late."
The moment Albedo spotted Momonga, her face lit up. She immediately flew to his side, her eyes brimming with devotion as she gazed at him.
"Herohero-sama, I'm here to protect you."
Shalltear drifted over to Herohero's side as well. As she stared at his gelatinous body, her thoughts seemed to wander somewhere inappropriate.
Sephis, meanwhile, flew up to Naohara with a hint of guilt on his face.
"Father-sama, I…"
"That's enough, Sephis. What's done is done."
Sephis had just opened his mouth when Naohara raised a hand, stopping him.
"You will always be my child, Sephis. So don't let it weigh on you."
Naohara smiled faintly. The moment he saw Sephis's expression, he knew the matter had already been resolved in his heart.
Looks like Demiurge handled it well.
Naohara thought to himself. Sending Demiurge to speak with Sephis earlier had clearly been the right decision.
The three of them then spoke with their respective Guardians for a while, explaining their plans.
"As expected of Herohero-sama, gathering information about this world so effortlessly."
Shalltear looked at Herohero with undisguised admiration.
"Not bad, not bad."
Herohero waved it off modestly, but the grin he couldn't suppress gave him away. Shalltear was a breathtaking beauty—being praised like that by someone like her would make anyone's head spin.
[Message]
"Blackie, you look pretty pleased with yourself."
"Solution and Shalltear… not bad. Left and right, you've got it all."
Naohara teased over the internal chat.
He wasn't jealous. On the contrary, he was genuinely happy for his friend.
"Yeah, Herohero, you're basically a winner in life now."
Momonga joined in with a chuckle. He knew that look on Shalltear's face all too well—it was exactly the same expression Albedo wore when she looked at him.
The only question was how long it would last. With Shalltear's personality… there was no telling.
"Haha, guess that makes me the protagonist now. Naohara, you'd better start showing me some respect. Who knows—maybe one day my strength will skyrocket, and I'll have you pinned beneath me."
"And you too, Momonga. Stick with me and work hard, and I'll make sure you live the good life."
Herohero puffed himself up, acting like a small-time villain who'd just gotten lucky, shamelessly bragging to the two of them.
"Momonga, looks like someone's getting carried away. We should find a chance to teach him a lesson."
Naohara wasn't angry at all. He simply glanced meaningfully at Momonga and sent the message privately.
"Agreed. He needs a bit of training. With that attitude, I'm worried he'll step outside one day and get himself cut down."
Momonga fully agreed.
Right now, Herohero looked exactly like the kind of overconfident villain from the novels he'd read. He half-expected the guy to walk out the door and immediately run into some hero, then die gloriously.
Meanwhile, Herohero, still basking in his triumph, had no idea his two friends were already planning his "lesson."
"My lords, shall we make our move?"
Albedo looked down at the soldiers within the barrier, her eyes cold and devoid of warmth.
To her, being able to offer one's life to the Supreme Beings was the greatest honor imaginable.
"Let's go. I'm quite curious about this world."
Naohara took the lead and descended. He truly was curious. Before transmigrating, he had watched the anime, but only the first three seasons. When he crossed over, the fourth had only just released its preview.
He knew that this world held beings like the True Dragon Lords who could rival Players, as well as World-Class Items left behind by Players of the past.
Beyond that, it was mostly bits of character information he'd picked up from online analysis videos.
Six figures drifted down soundlessly, passing through the barrier without resistance and landing inside the enclosure on the left.
From their earlier observations, the higher-ranking officers on this side likely knew more—after all, they commanded the Archangel Flame.
Inside the right-hand barrier, the Warrior Captain was still pacing in circles, completely unaware that he had just brushed past death.
Inside the left-hand barrier.
Countless humans dressed as priests were directing the Archangel Flame to cast spells in every direction, trying to drive back the unseen enemy.
The moment they realized that no matter how far they moved they would return to the same spot, they understood—they had been caught in a magical trap. They were completely sealed within this space.
"Damn it! How did we suddenly get trapped? Who's behind this?"
"Should we summon the highest-tier Angel? But the enemy hasn't shown themselves yet. It's not the right time."
Nigun carefully scanned the surroundings, his expression grave. As the captain of the Sunlight Scripture of the Slane Theocracy, he knew full well that they were now lambs awaiting slaughter.
He had to remain vigilant, ready to face an ambush at any moment. As the supreme commander, he couldn't afford even the slightest lapse.
He was well aware of his own flaws—pride and a tendency toward arrogance—but he was not without fear. Anyone capable of trapping them without a sound could just as easily wipe them out.
In his hand, he gripped a Sealing Crystal. At the first sign of movement, he would activate it and summon the highest-ranking Angel to eliminate the enemy as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, the summoning duration was limited. Otherwise, he would have called forth the Angel immediately and forced a way through the barrier.
"Sir! There's someone in the sky!"
Just as Nigun was weighing his options, a soldier's startled voice rang out beside him.